Changes To The Star Wars Brand Team Announced Including Mark Boudreaux’s Retirement

There have been several personnel changes to the Hasbro Star Wars team that they’d like to share.

• After 43 fantastic years creating some of the most iconic Star Wars toys and vehicles Mark Boudreaux will be retiring. His work has had a tangible impact on the Star Wars universe and been formative in creating the Hasbro Star Wars brand we know today.


• Chris Reiff will be joining the Hasbro Star Wars design team as an Associate Principal Designer. With experience in the industry and extensive knowledge of the Star Wars galaxy, including working professionally on Star Wars for 25 years, Hasbro is thrilled to have someone of Chris’ caliber join the team.


• Product Design Manager, Sam Smith will be moving off the Star Wars brand. After a successful tenure with Hasbro Star Wars, Sam will remain in the Hasbro family and lend his talents to a number of Hasbro action brands.


• Vickie Stratford, Senior Director of Product Design, will continue her role as design lead on the brand.

The following is Bantha Skull's commentary:

First of all, we symbolically raise our glasses and toast the legendary Mr. Boudreaux, and would like to thank him for providing so many wonderful creations from our childhoods through adulthoods. The man who worked on every Millennium Falcon in history will forever hold an iconic place in our hearts. Bravo, sir. Personally, I would also like to thank Mr. Boudreaux for retiring instead of going to work for the stupid Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Sam's departure is indeed a painful blow for us here. If you've read our reviews, you know we tend to lean towards the overly obsessive side on the nuances of costumes and characters. Sam was incredibly detail-oriented, which made us feel like the TVC line was in good hands. Here's hoping Chris Reiff can maintain this tradition of detail vigilance.

Finally, while this may seem like a dark day, the news that Vickie Stafford is staying on board is enormously good news. She has been integral in both phases of the Vintage Collection we love so much. While she is not as public of a figure as Sam and Patrick have been recently, Bret and I have gotten to interact with her at several events, and we can assure you her Star Wars passion runs incredibly deep. In no way can we understate how good this piece of continuity news is.

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